Tag Africa
‘Sower in the Field’
Moving crews installed South African artist Mary Sibande’s sculpture "Sower in the Field" at UW–Madison's Chazen Museum of Art on Feb. 27. Sibande's works, exhibited in leading museums around the world, deal with race, gender and labor in South Africa, including her family's forced domestic work imposed by the then-apartheid state.
Mystery disease at Sierra Leone chimpanzee sanctuary linked to bacterial infection
The study suggests that the bacterial group Sarcina may be more common, and capable of more serious infections, than previously thought. Yet there is little concern over animal-to-human transmission, and for now the disease remains rare in humans.
New game helps refugee camp kids become academic ‘stars’
Once a refugee himself, senior Joel Baraka has invented "5 STA-Z" — a board game for students across sub-Saharan Africa that turns learning into fun.
Longtime political scientist, scholar on African politics M. Crawford Young dies at 88
Young was a central figure in the creation of UW–Madison’s African Studies Program. His leadership and support helped the program thrive, and he remained active in it until his death.
Campus mourns Teju Olaniyan, renowned scholar of the African Diaspora
"We are losing an adventurous interdisciplinary thinker and a colleague and friend revered for his humanity," said English Department Chair Anja Wanner.
Human migration out of Africa may have followed monsoons in the Middle East
A new study provides evidence that summer monsoons from Asia and Africa may have reached into the Middle East for periods of time going back at least 125,000 years, providing suitable corridors for human migration.
UW-Madison mourns legendary professor/storyteller Harold Scheub
Scheub, who taught at UW–Madison for 43 years, was an unforgettable orator who used his unique gifts to bring the culture and stories of Africa to life for generations of UW students.
Researchers may have found a new way to fight skin-burrowing schistosomiasis parasite
Scientists led by Morgridge Institute for Research investigator Phillip Newmark have isolated a potent kryptonite against the parasitic worms, which cause devastating health problems.
As climate heats up, rising rainfall averages hide crop-killing droughts
Research performed in the Ethiopian highlands shows that even in years with above average rainfall, crops can be severely reduced by drought early in the growing season, when seeds must sprout and get established.
Eating crickets can be good for your gut, according to new clinical trial
The study shows consuming crickets can help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and that eating crickets is not only safe in large amounts but may also reduce inflammation in the body.
Mandela Fellows on their first impressions of Wisconsin: ‘Everyone has been so kind’
UW-Madison’s Mandela Fellows are young leaders from 16 countries across the African continent, and they're here to experience Wisconsin and to attend a 6-week public management institute.
Finding a weak link in the frightful parasite Schistosoma
More than 250 million people, mostly in Africa and Asia, have schistosomiasis, which kills an estimated 280,000 each year. “We don’t get that many aha! moments in our lives as scientists,” says a researcher. “This was one of them.”
Homo naledi had a tiny brain but it looked a lot like ours
Scientists and nonscientists alike have often associated larger brains with greater intelligence, but a new study may challenge that notion. “Maybe brain size isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” says John Hawks, one of the study’s corresponding authors.
Two faculty receive summer humanities research support from the NEH
Summer Stipends support continuous full-time work on a humanities project for a period of two consecutive months. The stipends support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences or both.
Fahey, Chazen, Thomas-Greenfield to receive honorary degrees
Honorary doctorates recognize individuals with careers of extraordinary accomplishment, with sustained and uncommonly meritorious activity reflecting UW–Madison values.
Ebola vaccine inches toward human clinical trials
The need for an Ebola vaccine is acute. Periodic outbreaks of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, including an epidemic between 2013 and 2016, caused major loss of life and serious economic disruption.
Bringing cheap and accurate tuberculosis tests to Africa
Researchers are developing a "robust, simple and inexpensive way to increase the sensitivity of an existing TB test" by integrating a step very similar to a pregnancy test.
Chimpanzee deaths in Uganda pinned on human cold virus
Scientists investigating an outbreak of respiratory disease in a community of wild chimpanzees in Uganda were surprised and dismayed to discover that rhinovirus C was killing healthy chimps.
Increased vegetation boosts rainfall in the Sahel, researchers find
The large semiarid region of Africa just south of the Sahara routinely experiences pronounced droughts that can last decades, threatening food security in the area.
Health access program bridges micro-finance, health for Uganda’s poor
Former Badger Kevin Gibbons runs a non-profit that merges microfinance and health-care access in Uganda by helping taxi drivers buy motorcycles.